'Dune' Star Florence Pugh Has New Rules for Her Film Sets, and Misogynists Aren’t Welcome

Florence Pugh is heading into the busiest holiday season of her career. She’ll be on screen as Princess Irulan in ‘Dune: Part Three’ and as Yelena Belova in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ and both open on December 18. With 2 major franchise films arriving at once, the British star has been talking candidly about what it takes to lead a film set.

She covers the December 2026/January 2027 issue of ELLE, and the interview is part of the magazine’s Women in Hollywood package. Pugh used it to look back on what she has learned over her career, especially about protecting herself in the industry.

Her most quoted comments are about set culture. “Every time I work on a movie, I get more confident in the way that I can protect myself and the way that I can lead a film set, and just not stand for bullshit anymore,” Pugh told ELLE. “I’m not doing it. I’m not standing for bullshit behavior. I’m not standing for bullshit attitude. I’m not allowing for people to be rude to the crew.”

Pugh said confidence comes with experience and that she now wants to work with the right people. When someone makes the atmosphere feel off, she said, everyone on set notices. She doesn’t want to deal with messiness, and she prefers to surround herself with professionals who share her approach.

Florence Pugh tells @ELLEmagazine she doesn’t stand for “bullsh*t behavior” on set: “Every time I work on a movie, I get more confident in the way that I can protect myself and the way that I can lead a film set, and just not stand for bullsh*t anymore … I’m not allowing for people to be rude to the crew … I don’t want to deal with messy. It’s just about surrounding yourself with professionals who have the same way of working in mind: Show up on time, don’t be rude, don’t be a misogynist.”
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 11, 2026

Her expectations come down to a simple checklist: “Show up on time, don’t be rude, don’t be a misogynist.” Pugh didn’t name any people or past projects in the interview. She has talked about this before. In her Vanity Fair cover story in September, she opened up about creating a healthy work environment and said she doesn’t like messy sets.

The ELLE interview also covered her recent activism. Pugh has publicly criticized Instagram for censoring her posts condemning an alleged assault case involving Cornell University students. She told the magazine that she cares about women she knows and women she doesn’t know, and that this is why she felt she had to speak out.

Florence Pugh graces the cover of the Women in Hollywood issue of ELLE. 🔗 https://t.co/ETpjlmZgph https://t.co/10Bf2X1rNf
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 10, 2026

She also made it clear that she won’t be silenced. “No one fucking censors me,” she said. “Don’t even try. That’s just going to add fuel to the fire.” The interview had some lighter moments too. ELLE asked about the release-date clash fans have nicknamed “Dunesday,” and Pugh, who appears in both films, had a clear answer.

“Do Dune first. Go have some lunch, process that, chat about it, dissect it, talk about it, maybe have the night off to talk about it,” Pugh said. “The following day, do Avengers (Doomsday), or in the evening, do Avengers. I don’t know, just go watch them both.”

Florence Pugh fotografada por Norman Jean Roy para a nova edição da ELLE Magazine: Women in Hollywood. https://t.co/AGRsbKpgso
— Florence Pugh Brasil (@FPughBRA) November 10, 2026

Marvel fans weren’t convinced. Some said online that they’d watch ‘Doomsday’ first to avoid spoilers, while others planned to see both on the same day, starting with Marvel. Pugh has had a big year. She received acclaim for Netflix’s ‘East of Eden,’ where she plays Cathy Ames, the story’s morally complex antihero. She is also attached to ‘The Midnight Library,’ which reportedly landed a $36 million deal at Paramount.

Florence Pugh photographed by Norman Jean Roy for Elle Magazine. 📷 https://t.co/dfqxw7eDO8
— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) November 10, 2026

With 2 huge productions arriving in theaters and more work ahead, her rules for the set are clear. Anyone joining a Florence Pugh project now knows what she expects before filming starts.